Every two hours, one of the nurses or the on-call doctor was in the room checking on Katy. It was decided that they would begin weaning her off of the IV pain medication and onto an oral one. All Katy really wanted to do was sleep. Twice they when woke her and Callen was gone. When he returned, he explained that he was checking on Henry. Katy felt a pain of jealousy at the fact that he'd held and fed him in the seven or eight hours since his birth. Even though Callen promised he had all of his fingers and toes and was the most beautiful baby he'd ever seen, she needed to see for herself.
The six o'clock visit from the nurse was no different than any of the others overnight. Until she mentioned that Katy would be able to go see Henry after breakfast. She smiled and began crying; finally she was going to meet her son. Within fifteen minutes, breakfast was delivered. Katy ate as much as she could and passed the rest off to Callen, eager to go to the NICU. She stared at her empty tray and at the clock. The minutes that passed felt like an eon. Her tray was picked up by an orderly, and then Dr. Wong came in to check on her.
The whole time Dr. Wong was there, Katy couldn't help but look at the clock hanging over the nurses' station. Dr. Wong expressed her desire to have Katy remain in the hospital one more day. Which didn't bother Katy if she'd be able to spend the majority of the it with Henry and Callen in the NICU. Just when she thought she'd be able to go see the baby, Hetty arrived.
Katy let out an exasperated sigh and greeted her. "Good morning Hetty how are you this morning?"
"I'm doing well, how are you?" Hetty asked with a warm smile.
Katy smiled and choked back the tears. "I'd be better if I could go see Henry."
Hetty smiled and walked out of the room. Callen was sitting on the bed with her and put his arm around her. "We have the rest of our lives with Henry; I know you want to see him. They just want to make sure you're alright before they let you go."
"I know, but I need to see him and hold him, for my own sanity." She told him.
Hetty reappeared in the doorway with one of the nurses and a wheelchair. "Well, what are we waiting for; I'd like to see my grandson as well."
Had Katy been feeling one hundred percent, she would've jumped out of the bed. Given that she was very sore and now badly bruised from Crystal's kick to her stomach, she was moving slow and needed help. Callen helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed, slid her off the bed and the two or three steps to the wheelchair. The nurse pulled a fresh, warm blanket out from under her arm and handed it to Callen so he could help Katy wrap it around her legs and abdomen.
"Are you ready to go meet your son, Mrs. Callen?" The nurse asked as she wheeled her out of the room.
"I've been ready for months to meet him." She smiled and held Callen's hand as they walked.
"I hear he's the cutest little one to be in the NICU in a while. When I called down at four this morning, the charge nurse said all of the other nurses are doting on him. Since there aren't but four or five other babies in there right now, he's getting a lot of attention."
"I'm happy they think he's so cute, but I can't wait to see for myself. I didn't get a good look at him before I began hemorrhaging and passed out." Katy told her.
They stopped in front of the patient elevation and waited. "Well, it's not going to be very long now, just an elevator ride and short ride and you'll see him."
The elevator doors opened and there was Ivan. He didn't even bother getting off, just stepped back a few feet so they could get on. They exchanged their good mornings and chatted a little about Katy's night. The elevator stopped, Katy took a ragged breath and wiped away the tears. She didn't want Henry to see her teary eyed and well, a blithering idiot. The nurse wheeled her off the elevator and down the hall.
"Look, all the nurses are standing around his bed. I told you he gets a lot of attention." The nurse said patting her on the shoulder.
Callen held the door open for then and pulled a gown from the shelving and helped Katy put it on. Hetty and Ivan did so as well. The nurse left the NICU and headed back up to ICU. Callen wheeled her towards the flock of nurses around Henry's bassinet.
"Oh little man, you're never going to guess who's here. You get to meet your Mommy." An older woman with nearly white hair said. "Good morning Mrs. Callen, someone is very eager to see you. You're just in time to give him a bottle."
Katy couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears as the nurses parted and there was little Henry. He was beautiful with his pink skin and blonde head of hair. Callen stopped the wheelchair close to the rocking chair and asked Katy if she wanted to sit in it.
"Please just give me the baby, I don't care where I'm sitting I need to hold him." She cried leaning over with her hand in the bassinet, touching him.
Immediately, one of the nurses gently picked him up and placed him in her arms. Callen was right; he was the most perfect handful. She brushed her fingers softly across his forehead and through his hair. Katy held him up higher, buried her face in the crook of his little neck and took a deep breath. When she pulled her face away, she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Katy placed him on her chest and held him to her heart, kissing his head.
"Oh Henry, I love you so much. You are so beautiful."
The nurse walked back over with the warmed bottle and handed it to her. Katy loosened the blanket swaddling him and put the bottle to his mouth. It took some coaxing, but he finally latched on and sucked. Callen knelt beside her and wiped the tears from her cheek.
"I told you he was perfect." He said and kissed her head.
"I can't believe he's here. I can't believe he's ours." She said and kissed Callen's lips softly.
Ivan put an arm around Hetty. "See everything worked out fine. Look at our grandson, a perfect combination of Callen and Katya."
Hetty smiled up at him and then down at Katy, Callen and Henry. "Yes, they're the perfect family."
Within a few minutes, Henry had drunk an ounce of the bottle. Katy handed Callen the bottle, lifted the baby to her shoulder and began patting his back. All the while, she whispered how much she loved him in his tiny ear. Once he finally burped, she laid him back her arm and took the bottle from Callen. A few minutes later, she repeated the burping process again. Once he burped, she laid him in her arm again and just stared at him. Katy unwrapped him and looked at him from head to toe. Like Callen told her, all fingers and toes were accounted for. He was warm and pink and soft. Katy placed her hand under his little shirt and laid her hand on his chest. She felt his little heart beating a mile a minute.
Henry just stared up at her with his blue eyes, almost studying her face. He moved his balled fists in jerky movements. Katy moved her hand from his chest and took one of his hands. Almost instinctively, Henry opened his hand revealing his long, slender fingers and wrapped them around Katy's finger. She stroked the tops of his fingers with her thumb as she looked down at him. Occasionally, she would bring his fingers to her lips and she would kiss them all.
Callen loved the look of love and joy on Katy's face. He knew she loved him as much as he did and knew this is where they would spend their days until he could join them at home. There was so much to finish before that time came, between taking care of Katy and making regular trips to the hospital, he didn't know when he was going to be able to get it all done.
"When you go home, if you'd like to bring back a picture of the two of you and a couple small stuffed animals, you can. It helps the baby to have something to look at, we've found it keeps them calmer when Mom and Dad aren't here with them." The older woman said.
"Of course, we have all of that." Callen smiled.
After an hour of holding Henry, Katy finally let Hetty and Ivan have their turns with him. Both Katy and Callen watched as they looked at him with such love. Hetty left to head to the office a short while later. Ivan however stayed with them in the NICU for another hour and a half until he departed as well. Before they knew it, it was time for Henry to eat again. Katy sat patiently watching Callen as he held him and fed him. If she wasn't so in love with him before, seeing him with their son made her love him even more. While she knew life with Henry the first few weeks wasn't going to be easy by any means, they would do it together. Katy knew for a fact that they'd wind up fighting over who was going to get up and feed him in the middle of the night and they'd do it together.
After another hour with him, the nurse from the ICU came down to get her. She was to be moved to another ward, checked by the doctor again, given lunch and then another pain pill. Katy was promised that she could come back to see Henry after she rested for a while. Callen handed Henry to her one last time so she could say goodbye and then laid him in his bed before he leaned over and kissed his head. He walked by Katy's side as they made the journey back up to her room.
Once Katy was situated in her new room, had eaten lunch, taken her pain medication and had fallen asleep, Callen went back down to the nursery for Henry's next feeding. When he returned to check on Katy, she was still asleep. Her new room had a couch, so he lay down and caught a few minutes of sleep before they had a visitor. Both Katy and Callen woke with a start when they heard the clank of glass on the wood topped nightstand beside her bed. Katy looked over and found David Johns and Eric Cooper staring down at her.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you." David said.
Katy smiled and rolled towards them. "No, it's alright. How did you know I was here?"
"I called Special Agent Blye this morning when I couldn't get a hold of you or your husband last night." He said with a sad look on his face. "I'm so sorry about what happened. Neither Eric or I ever expected Crystal to lash out like that."
"It's alright, Henry's fine. He'll stay in the nursery for a couple weeks before he's able to come home."
"Good afternoon Special Agent Callen, I'm sorry we woke you." Eric said to Callen as he stretched and sat up.
"No, it's fine. I'm a little surprised to see you two here."
"Like I told Katy, I called Special Agent Blye this morning when I couldn't get a hold of you last night. I just wanted to find out what happened with Crystal. I was shocked when I heard what happened as she was being led away. I just wanted to make sure Katy and the baby was alright."
"Henry was born by C-section last night and then Katy hemorrhaged, she spend the night in the ICU so they could make sure she was alright. Henry's doing fine." Callen smiled at the thought of his son.
"Very good, I'm happy to hear you both are doing well. When are you supposed to go home?" he asked Katy.
"Tomorrow sometime." She said.
Both David and Eric nodded. "Since the case is wrapped up, we're going to move on to our next investigation location."
"What are you going to do about replacing Lt. Marx and Crystal?" Katy asked.
"Annalisa has agreed to return until we find a replacement for Lt. Marx and a friend of mine will take Crystal's place. My offer still stands for you to join us on an investigation."
"No, I've got more important things I want to do in the coming weeks and months. I appreciate the offer. I hope you guys stay safe and we'll be tuning in next week for the newest episode." Katy said.
"So you do watch the show?" David laughed.
"Katy hasn't missed an episode. She even DVR's the episodes so she can re-watch them." Callen told them.
"Well, thank you for being such a loyal fan and for your part in the investigation. We'll be sure to say hi to you guys on one of the shows." He said and shook their hands before they left.
"That was a pleasant surprise." Katy said after they walked into the hall.
"It was, the flowers are beautiful." He said standing and smelling them. "Do you want to have me see if you can go back down to Henry?"
"Yes please." She smiled.
Hetty sat at her desk watching the time. Like clockwork Sam, Kensi and Deeks arrived at twelve on the dot. She gave them a few minutes before she approached the bullpen and gave them their assignment for the day.
"Good afternoon, I trust you all got a good night's rest?" she asked.
"Yes, did you go see Katy, Callen and the baby this morning?" Kensi asked.
"I did and they are all doing well." She told them. "Katy is being released tomorrow. I would like for us all to go over and finish the baby's room. From what Ivan said, they still have yet to put together Henry's crib, changing table and dresser. So Mr. Callen can focus on taking care of Katy, would you be willing to help with that?"
"Of course, I can call Michelle and have her come up as well." Sam offered.
"If she'd like to join us that is fine. Reggie, Ana, the children, Ivan and Yegor are going to be there as well."
"Let's go." Deeks said picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
"We need to get Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones as well." Hetty said as she walked towards the stairs leading to Ops.
Ivan and Yegor were piecing together Henry's crib when they all arrived. Kensi and Deeks had stopped to pick-up pizzas and sodas on the way over. They all ate quickly before they started on the baby's room. By three, Reggie, Ana and the kids had arrived. Ana and Michelle were busy washing all of Henry's clothes, bedding, washcloths and towels. When they were finished, Mary and Cassi helped fold them and put them in the dresser. By five, everything was done. Michelle, Ivan and Ana sat down to plan a menu that they were going to make for Callen and Katy. Things that could be taken out of the freezer in the morning, thawed and either put in the microwave or in the over to reheat it.
With the menu and shopping lists planned, they all headed to the hospital to see the Callen's. When the group walked in to the hospital through the main entrance, the kids immediately wanted to go into the gift shop after seeing all of the stuffed animals, balloons and flowers. Not wanting to over-do it with the gifts, they selected five balloons, a large bouquet of flowers and a small stuffed animal. They also picked up a huge card that everyone signed before heading up to the ICU. They were a little worried when they got to the ICU, picked up the phone to announce their arrival only to find that Katy wasn't there anymore. The nurse who answered was kind enough to give them her new room number but told them that they were probably in the nursery with the baby.
Instead of going directly to Katy's room, they went to the nursery. Like the nurse expected, Katy and Callen were sitting in the nursery, Henry in Katy's arms. Since they were only allowed two additional guests in the nursery at a time, Sam and Michelle went in first. The nurses pulled two chairs over so they could sit with them. Michelle held Henry first. She was completely smitten with him and gave Sam a look. When Sam held Henry, he knew exactly what the look meant. There was something about holding a newborn that made a person want one of their own. Unfortunately, the conversation wouldn't last long since Michelle was working more and more for the CIA.
Reggie and Ana came in next. With their wedding right around the corner, there was the possibility of a baby in their future. Reggie was the first with that look in his eye when he watched Ana with Henry. Kensi and Deeks followed, with Nell and Eric coming in after them. The kids weren't allowed to come into the nursery because of their ages, so Callen held Henry up to the window. Mary held up the stuffed bear they'd picked out. One of the nurses asked if they'd like to have it in Henry's bed and they agreed so she walked to the door and took it from Mary. The nurse handed the bear to Katy, who placed it in Henry's bed.
By five, Katy was exhausted. She and Callen had both fed Henry several times. They each kissed him goodnight and Callen laid him in his bed. He wheeled Katy out of the nursery and stopped by the windows for one last look. Mary ran over and gave Katy a careful hug.
"He's so cute. I can't wait until he comes home so I can hold him and kiss him." She giggled.
"I know I can't wait for him to come home either. It's going to be hard going home tomorrow without him." Katy told her.
"But, we will be spending a good part of the day here until he does come home." Callen said patting Katy's back.
The entire group; minus Hetty; went up to Katy's room. It was tight, but it could accommodate everyone. When dinner was served, their guests decided to let them enjoy dinner in peace. Katy ate as quickly as she could so they could go back down to the nursery for a few hours before she went to bed. Callen wheeled Katy back down to Henry. They took turns holding and feeding him until the staff kicked them out. Throughout the day, several other babies took residence in the nursery. Over the course of time, their parents would appear at their bedsides. One baby in particular was so tiny; Katy's heart broke for the parent's when the baby died a few hours after its birth.
As much as she wanted to give her condolences to the parents, she felt guilty that she still had Henry. Finally just before the parents walked out of the nursery one final time, Katy stopped them and told them how sorry she was for their loss. At first the baby's mother looked at her with disgust while the father looked angry. Their expressions softened when Katy and Callen told them about Kari and the twins. The mother broke into tears and immediately hugged Katy.
"So there is hope." The woman said as she pulled away.
"Yes there is hope. It will never completely heal, but it will get easier."
"But what if I forget about him?"
"You will never forget him." Callen assured them.
They stood or sat and talked outside of the nursery for another fifteen minutes. Katy offered both their home number as well as Reggie's office number. The grieving couple said that they definitely would be calling him. On the way back up to Katy's room, she called Reggie to explain who the couple was that would be calling him and their situation. Reggie appreciated Katy and Callen referring the couple to him and promised to help them in any way possible.
Katy knew as soon as the doctor walked into her room the following morning that she was going home and burst into tears. Neither she nor Callen wanted to leave Henry behind, not that they were really leaving him behind. An hour and a half later, Katy was being wheeled out of the hospital while Callen ran to get the Mercedes. His arms full of the flowers and balloons that had been sent by all of Katy's cousins. One of the orderlies followed close behind with the rest of the gifts. When Callen opened the trunk, they weren't sure if everything was going to fit, but between the trunk and the back seat, everything did.
He could see the sadness in her face as he pulled into the curved driveway. The nurse helped Katy to her feet while Callen put the car in park and got out to help her in the passenger seat. Before she could get into the car, the tears were falling again. It was truly breaking her heart not being able to take Henry home now.
"Don't worry Mom; we're going to take very good care of your little boy." The nurse assured her. "He won't even know you're gone, just get some rest and we'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, we'll be here tomorrow if not later today." Katy told her sniffling.
"No, not today." Callen told her, placing his hand gently on her face. "You need to rest. I'll make breakfast in the morning and then we'll come spend the day with Henry."
Katy merely nodded, knowing Callen was right. As they pulled away from the hospital, Katy said a silent prayer, begging for Henry to be okay while they were gone. "I hope he's going to be alright tonight."
"Katy, it's not like he's sick. He was just born a little too early; the doctors just want to make sure he's strong enough and healthy enough to come home. I'm going to be worried about him too, but I'm sure it's for nothing. The NICU here is one of the best in Southern California. Relax and try to get some rest." He said taking her hand as he drove.
The house was silent when they walked in. Not even the cats were there to greet them. Callen called for them and of course they came running from the bedroom at the back of the house. Katy bent over to pick one of them up and nearly went head first into the table, had Callen not caught her.
"I know you want to go back to the hospital, but not like this." He laughed. "Please be a little more careful."
"I'm guess I'm weaker than I thought." She said allowing Callen to guide her to the couch.
Just as Callen got her comfortable, the phone rang. Katy's heart was in her throat and watched as he walked to the side table to answer it. "It's your Dad." He said looking at the caller ID. "Hey Dad, how are you?"
"Good, good. Welcome home, have you been in little Henry's room yet?"
"No we haven't, we literally just walked in the house. Why, what's going on with Henry's room?" He asked brushing Katy's hair back with his fingers.
"Take Katya and go look." Ivan instructed.
Callen helped Katy to her feet and guided her through the kitchen to Henry's room. There was a huge blue bow tied around the door. "What'd you guys do?" Callen asked.
"Just go in my son." Ivan laughed.
Callen and Katy were both surprised to find Henry's room was finished. Cautiously, she walked to the dresser and pulled the top drawer open; all of Henry's onesies were neatly folded. She picked one up and held it to her nose smelling it. Tears fell from her eyes once again. After placing the onesie back in the drawer, she walked to the rocking chair and sat down. She looked around the room and smiled.
"Who all helped finish the room?" Callen asked.
"Everyone, there's food in the freezer too. All you need to do is pull something out first thing in the morning and put it in the oven when you get home from seeing Henry."
"Thank you so much." Callen smiled.
"I had just a small hand in it, you need to thank Grandma. I'll be by later to spend some time with you two. How is Katya doing after leaving Henry at the hospital?"
With that, Callen walked out of the room and into their bedroom, pulling the covers back on the bed and situating the pillows the way Katy liked. "She's doing alright, emotional. I can't wait until we can bring him home."
"The doctor said two weeks?" Ivan asked.
"Yes, give or take."
"Well, Katya's birthday is in two weeks, bringing Henry home would be the best gift."
Callen looked out the door to see if Katy was there. "That would be the best birthday present ever for her."
"I'll let you go, you need to rest too. I'll see you later tonight."
"Alright Dad, thanks for calling." Callen said and disconnected the call. He walked back into Henry's room to find Katy asleep. She was pale, but still every bit as beautiful as the day he realized he needed to be with her. "Katy honey, let's go lay in our bed for a while."
Katy wrapped her arm around his neck as he lifted her and carried her to the bedroom. With the other hand, she reached down and felt for the bed, easing herself down. She rolled on her side as Callen pulled the covers up to her shoulder. Katy watched Callen walk around to his side of the bed and climb in. He rolled on his side to face her and smiled.
"He's going to be fine isn't he?"
"Yes Katy, he's going to be just fine. You're Dad's going to stop by tonight. They made food for us too." He said brushing a few strands of hair from her face.
Katy smiled warmly. "We have the best friends and family."
"We do." He said pulling her close to him and then kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep, I love you."
Katy snuggled in and buried her face in his chest. "I love you too."
They woke with a start when the phone rang. Half awake and half asleep, Callen reached for the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey G, welcome home."
"Hey Sam, how are you?"
"We're good; Hetty called the hospital to check on you guys and they said you were home, so we decided to call." He said.
"Hi Callen, hi Katy!" Kensi yelled in the background.
Katy smiled. "Hey Kens, how are you?"
"We were about to take off for lunch and wondered if you'd like us to bring you something?" Sam asked.
"Are you hungry, Katy?" Callen asked looking down at her.
"I could eat." She said running her finders through his hair.
"Sure, what did you guys have in mind?"
"Don't worry about it; we'll see you guys in about a half hour." Sam said and hung up.
Callen returned the phone to its cradle and turned back to Katy. He put his hand on her hip and leaned down to kiss her. "I'm so thankful you're alright. I don't think I could raise Henry without you."
"Oh honey, I'm fine." She told him and pulled him back down.
Callen shook his head. "We need you, Katy. Henry and I, your Dad, Kensi, Sam and Michelle, Reggie, Ana and the kids; don't ever scare me like that again."
Katy couldn't help but smile. "I will try not to hemorrhage again. It's not like we're going to have another baby right away. Let's get Henry home and get into a routine before we even think about more children."
"So, you're birthday's coming up." Callen smiled. "Have any idea of what you'd like to do?"
"If Henry's home by then, I just want a quiet evening at home with my boys."
"Ah, okay. You know everyone else isn't going to like that."
"They'll understand." Katy told him.
Sam, Kensi and Deeks showed up right on time with Mexican food. Katy was very happy and ate everything they'd ordered for her. They sat around for a few minutes talking before the three had to head back to the office. Callen and Katy thanked them and headed back to bed. Katy fell back to sleep within a few minutes. Callen on the other hand stared at the ceiling for twenty to thirty minutes before he finally fell asleep again. The room was completely dark when they woke up again. Callen heard the front door open and close again. Sure he locked up before they lay back down, so he went to see who it was with Katy right behind him.
"Katya, Callen I'm sorry I woke you. I was going to make dinner." Ivan said when they appeared in the hallway.
"Dad." Katy said giving him a hug. "How are you?"
"I'm good Katya, how are you feeling?"
"Not bad." She said walking to the refrigerator for something to drink.
"Here, I got them especially for tonight." Ivan said handing Katy a beer.
"I can't drink, Dad."
"Yes you can, you've got all night to get it out of your system. Have you started pumping yet?"
"No, I think I'm just going to give Henry formula. He's already drinking it in the nursery." She said looking to Callen for approval.
"If that's what you want to do, I'm fine with it." He told her with an arm around her waist. Holding up his beer, she smiled and the necks of the bottles met with a clank. "Drink up."
Katy took a long swig. "Oh Lord, that's so good. I've missed drinking."
Katy sat at the island watching Ivan and Callen make dinner. Occasionally, she'd let her mind wander to Henry and felt guilty about relaxing and enjoying herself. Callen would stop whatever he was doing to reassure her that she wasn't doing anything wrong. Henry needed her to relax and that was exactly what she was doing. They enjoyed a casual dinner at the island and moved into the living room so Katy could lie down. Once she'd drifted off to sleep, Callen and Ivan cleaned up the kitchen. Since Ivan had the day off tomorrow, he stayed with them and went to see Henry with them the following day.
The next week and a half passed quickly, it was exhausting running back and forth to the hospital every day. By the time Henry was due to come home, he had gained a whopping two pounds. He was eating four ounces every two hours and had to be woken up to eat. The pediatrician said that they could bump the feedings to every three hours to see how Henry did. When they walked into the nursery, the nurses had him dressed and ready to go. He wore a blue knit cap with matching mittens and a blue sweater; a gift from the nursing staff there in the NICU. Katy beamed the entire time she and Callen strapped him into his car seat. Henry stared at them the entire time, as if he knew he was going home.
Like when Katy was released, she was wheeled out of the hospital with Henry on her lap. Callen ran ahead to get the car. When he pulled up, the nurse inspected the installation of the car seat base. Once it was approved, Henry and his car seat were placed in the base. Katy rode in the back with him, talking to him the entire way to the house. When they arrived, there was a huge painted white sheet hung over the living room windows, welcoming Henry home. Several of the neighbors stood waiting for their arrival.
Callen stopped in front of the house and looked back at Katy. Giddily, she opened the car door and released Henry's car seat. Callen met her and took the diaper bag and all of his gifts to the door. Katy stood back as Callen unlocked and pushed open the door. Ying and Yang were immediately there sniffing the newest member of the family. Katy sat Henry on the dining room table and stepped back, letting the cats give him the once over. They looked confused, looking from Callen and Katy to the baby and back again.
"This is your little brother." Katy told them. Finally they meowed their approval. Callen worked at the straps and clasps on the car seat. Katy impatiently pushed him aside and undid clasp at his chest and between his legs. Carefully she lifted him out of the car seat and held him up so he looked down on them. His eyes were wide and crystal blue. Callen kissed Katy's temple, then kissed Henry's chubby little cheek.
"Daddy's so happy you're finally here and home." He said softly.
"He's adorable, isn't he?" Katy asked resting Henry's little head in the crook of her elbow.
"Yeah he is." Callen agreed with a smile as he looked lovingly at Katy and Henry. "Thank you for giving me a son."
"Thank you. We're parents." Katy laughed. "Now what are we supposed to do?"
"Well, he ate about an hour ago, so he's not hungry. I'm surprised he didn't fall asleep in the car on the way home."
Henry stretched and yawned. Callen rubbed his finger on Henry's cheek, causing Henry to open his mouth searching for Callen's finger. There was a light knock on the door; they turned around to find Mary standing in the doorway. She had a huge ear to ear grin on her face and her fists clenched at her chest. Callen waved her in and she bolted across the room to see Henry. Katy could tell by the questioning look on her face that she wanted to hold him, so she led Mary to the sofa and had her sit. Gently she laid Henry in her arms. Mary beamed and kissed Henry's forehead.
"He's so small." She squealed.
"He gained two pounds in the last week and a half." Callen told her.
Katy heard footsteps on the porch and immediately asked Mary if her father knew where she was. "No, she didn't tell me she was coming down here." Reggie said pushing the door open.
"Sorry Daddy, I wanted to see Henry." She said with her head hung low.
"It's alright." He told her walking around the couch. "Hey you get to hold him too."
"Isn't he so small, Daddy?" She asked looking up at her father proudly.
"He is now, but he's going to grow fast. In a few years, he's going to be about as big as you." Reggie told her.
"I can't wait to watch him grow."
Callen wrapped his arm around Katy, "Neither can we."
The late morning, afternoon and early evening was spent entertaining guests. Once Ana had gotten home from work and figured out where Mary and Reggie had disappeared to, she, Cassi and little Reggie joined them. Kensi and Deeks dropped by during lunch accompanied by Cass and Mike. About an hour later, Nell and Eric stopped by. Hetty called to check on them around three and asked if she could drop by later in the evening to see them. Of course they didn't mind, knowing Ivan would be over too. Poor Henry was passed around like he was a hot potato. He finally fell asleep after being awake for three hours. A bottle was all it took for him to drift off to sleep.
Callen and Katy stood at his crib watching him sleep, thankful he was finally home and all theirs. After a half hour of watching him sleep, Callen convinced Katy to leave the room and try to relax herself before the next round of visitors. Within fifteen minutes of lying on the couch, resting her head on the arm, she was fast asleep. While she slept, Callen put dinner in the oven and called Sam to see how the case load was. With a week left of his leave, he would return to work the following week. As much as he was going to hate to leave Katy and Henry, he had to get back into the old routine.
"Hey G, I hear you guys are home and Henry's as cute as can be; as Cass and Kensi put it." Sam laughed.
"Yeah, he is pretty cute. How are things there, what's the case load looking like?"
"It's not too bad. Cass and Mike are sharp, they've thought of stuff I hadn't even thought of. Of course they aren't as good as you and Katy, but they're good in their own right."
"Well, Hetty said we had them until both Katy and I are back at work and on full duty." Callen reminded him.
"How is Katy doing, I bet she's on cloud nine having Henry home?"
"We watched him sleep for about a half hour before I pulled her out of the room. Within minutes of putting her on the couch, she was asleep. I have no idea what to expect tonight with him. It could be very interesting." Callen laughed.
"I'm sure you guys will be fine. Hopefully the nurses in the NICU were able to get him on a proper schedule so he sleeps at night instead of all day."
"Henry was awake for three hours while Mary, Reggie, Ana and the other two were here and still up when Kensi, Deeks, Cass and Mike were here. You guys going to stop by tonight, I know Katy would like to see you, Michelle and the kids?"
"I know Hetty's planning on stopping by tonight, so I think Michelle and I will come over another night, maybe over the weekend?"
"Oh, okay." Callen said, definitely an answer he hadn't expected.
"You've had people in and out all day, G. Have you and Katy spent any time together at all or have you two been so consumed with Henry? When was the last time you two sat on the couch and watched a movie?"
"Without her falling asleep?" Callen laughed. "It's been a couple months."
"Henry's on formula or is Katy nursing?"
"She's decided on formula, which is fine with me."
"How about Michelle and I watched Henry for you this weekend so you two can go do something together? Dinner or a movie, even some shopping as long as you're together."
"I'll talk to Katy; she's probably not going to want to leave him. I would like to take her out for her birthday."
"Perfect. It's this weekend, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He said hearing shuffling across the hardwood floor behind him. Katy put her head on his shoulder, bringing her hands around to his chest. "Katy's awake, so let me talk to her about this weekend and we'll let you know. Are you sure you guys don't want to come over tonight?"
"Come on Sam, he's so cute." Katy said in the background.
Sam sighed, "Let me talk to Michelle, I'll call you back in a little while."
Callen disconnected the call and turned to face Katy. In spite of her nap, she still looked tired. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Katy's body immediately relaxed like she was melting in his arms. He rested his head on hers and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Sam offered to babysit for us Saturday night so we could go out to dinner or something." He said after softly kissing her lips.
"Hmm, I don't know if I'm quite ready to leave Henry. Even if it is Sam and Michelle." She said, returning the kiss.
"They aren't coming by tonight, they said they'd wait until this weekend." He told her.
"Really, I figured they would be one of the first one's here tonight."
"I think because Hetty's coming over tonight, they want to give her some time with him uninterrupted."
"Makes sense." Katy said and leaned into him.
"I actually forgot what it was like to be this close to you without the belly in the way." He said pulling her even closer.
Katy laughed and dropped her head. "Yeah, but it's going to take a lot to get it back to where it was before I got pregnant."
"You look fine, Katy."
"Yeah with clothes on, otherwise everything sags right now."
Callen lifted her chin with his fingers. "You just had a baby a week and a half ago; you can't expect your body to go back to normal immediately. I think you as a mom is kind of sexy."
Katy tried to push him away, but Callen's hold was too tight. She finally looked him in the eye and saw that certain twinkle he always had when he looked at her. Callen leaned down and kissed her long and hard. Katy wished she'd been released by the doctor already; she hadn't wanted him this bad in a couple months. Before she could think, Callen had turned the two of them around so she was against the dining room table. Quickly, he lifted her onto the table and settled himself between her legs.
"You do know this can't happen?" Katy said between kisses.
Callen put his head on hers and held her face in his hands. "I know I can wait another four weeks until the doctor clears you. It's just been a while."
"It has." She smiled.
Callen gave her one last kiss before the timer on the oven went off. "Dinner's ready."
"It smells so good. Lasagna maybe?"
"It wasn't marked; we'll have to see when we pull the top off."
"I can't believe you put it in the over without opening it to see what it was." She laughed.
"I recognized the writing. It's something Michelle made so I know whatever it is will be good."
Katy got the plates out of the cupboard and silverware from the drawer. "What time did Hetty say she was going to be here?"
No sooner did she speak the words and the doorbell rang. Callen looked at the time on the stove. "Right about now, I'd say."
Katy walked over to the door and opened it. Hetty and Ivan both stood there exchanging greetings and pleasantries. Katy ushered them in and asked if they'd eaten. Neither had, so she grabbed two more plates and forks and took them to the table. Callen carefully pulled the foil back on tray and saw it was definitely Italian, exactly what was still unknown. With oven mitts on his hands, he carried the tray to the table and sat it on the pot holders Katy had just put down.
"Which stack did you get it from?" Ivan asked.
"The one of the right, it was Michelle's writing on the cooking instructions." Callen told him.
"I know she made lasagna and eggplant parmesan." Hetty chimed in.
With Katy, Hetty and Ivan seated at the table, Callen cut into the red sauce and cheese covered concoction. "It looks like Eggplant Parmesan."
As if Henry sensed they were about to sit down to dinner, he began wailing at the top of his little lungs. Hetty followed Katy back to his bedroom. As Katy expected, Henry had soaked the outfit they laid him down in, so in addition to changing his diaper, she had to change his clothes and the crib sheet. When they'd been back there ten minutes, Callen and Ivan wandered back to see what was taking so long. Katy was putting the sheet on the mattress in the crib while Hetty talked to and cooed at Henry while he lay on the changing table.
Hetty smiled up at Ivan and Callen. "He's just the sweetest thing I've ever seen."
"Katy, should I make him a bottle?" Callen asked.
"Yes please, thank you." She called as he walked out of the room.
A few minutes later, he returned with the little four ounce bottle. "Let me feed him while you eat, then if he's not finished, we'll trade."
"Alright, thank you." Katy said as she watched Callen lift Henry into his arms.
Callen joined them at the table, resting Henry on the table as he fed him the bottle. Katy had finished eating just as Henry finished his first two ounces and needed to be burped. Callen passed her the baby and began eating. It didn't take too much to get Henry to burp; when he did it was something you'd expect out of a child or adult, not a week and a half old baby. Katy carefully put Henry in the crook of her elbow and rested him on her leg while she gave him the last two ounces.
After dinner, Callen and Ivan cleaned up while Katy and Hetty took Henry to the living room. He was wide awake and looking around the room while Hetty held him. Katy loved seeing the look on Hetty's face. It was complete relaxation and elation at the same time. Hetty shook her head and smiled down at Henry, telling him all about the first time she met his Daddy and Mommy, wishing she'd met them sooner than the four year old she rescued from the orphanage in Romania and the two year old in Russia.
Callen and Ivan joined them in the living room ten minutes later. Hetty passed Ivan the baby and just watched him look lovingly at the child. Ivan was completely enamored with Henry. With tears in his eyes, he looked up at Callen and Katy. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Henry. Ivan rocked from side to side, lulling Henry to sleep. After holding him for another thirty minutes, he took him back to his room and gently laid him in his crib. Ivan was wiping the tears from his eyes as he walked back into the living room.
"Oh Katya, if you were half as cute as a baby." He said kissing Katy's cheek.
"I know Dad, but at least you get to see your grandson." Katy reminded him.
"True, very true." He smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm going to head home; I have to start the pastries early in the morning. Have a good night."
"Alright Dad, thank you for coming over." Katy said as they walked towards the door.
"I think I'll let you two have some time as well. Mr. Callen all I could get you was a few days after Henry came home. Director Vance wishes it could've been more and sends his apologies. Monday morning bright and early, I expect to see you back in the office." Hetty said as she too walked towards the door.
"Director Vance called last week." Callen told her.
"Thank you for coming over and joining us for dinner, Hetty." Katy said.
"It was a pleasure." She told her. "I truly hope you have a good evening with Henry."
Callen wrapped an arm around Katy as they stood at the open door, watching Ivan and Hetty walk to their respective cars. Both gave a wave before they drove off in separate directions. Katy shivered as a cold wind blew in and around them. Callen closed the door, locked it and looked at Katy. They stood there for a few minutes before Callen suggested watching some TV in bed before they fell asleep. Katy smiled and shut off the light in the living room. They looked in on Henry before they went to their room. He was sound asleep, for at least another two hours.
"So who takes the first feeding?" Callen asked as they walked into their room.
"I will, I don't mind." Katy told him as she tossed the throw pillows on the floor and pulled the comforter back.
"I can do it."
"It's alright; I'll probably be up anyway, listening to him breathing on the baby monitor." Katy laughed.
"I know the feeling. How about this, you feed him the first half of the bottle, burp him and I'll do the second half?" He suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. You do know that I don't expect you to get up for every feeding over night when you go back to work."
"I know I'd still like to take one and the morning feeding before work."
Katy walked around the bed to her dresser and grabbed her pajamas. "If that's what you'd like to do, I'm not going to stop you. You do still have to be coherent and focused for work."
"I will be, don't worry." Callen told her and pulled her to him. "I love you."
"I love you too." She told him before their lips met.
It was a long night, neither Katy nor Callen slept well if at all. Both wanted to be awake when Henry woke or needed to be woken up to eat. Katy dozed off a couple times, but always woke with a start when she heard Henry move or grunt. By five in the morning, Callen was making a pot of coffee while Katy made Henry's bottle. To their surprise, he was wide awake when they went in to wake him. If Katy hadn't known better, she would've sworn Henry was smiling up at them. Like with his afternoon nap, he'd wet through his diaper; Callen changed the sheet while Katy changed Henry's diaper and pajamas.
They met in the living room and sat together on the couch to give Henry his bottle. The cats, still curious about the baby sat very close, smelling his head and feet. When Henry moved, the cats would jump back and very slowly creep back to their positions. After finishing the first two ounces of his bottle, Katy burped Henry and passed him off to Callen. She laid her head on Callen's shoulder, just watching the baby eat. Occasionally, she'd rub his tiny little head. Callen smiled down at the baby and then Katy. Just before Henry finished off the last of his bottle, Callen leaned down and kissed his forehead.
By nine in the morning, Callen and Katy were dragging. They were so thankful when the doorbell rang and on the other side stood Ana and Michelle. Immediately, they sent the exhausted pair to bed while they cleaned, did a load of Henry's laundry and of course tended to the baby. By noon; Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Cass and Mike were there with lunch for everyone. The five were shocked when Katy and Callen still looked like they'd been run over by a truck. They sat around the dining room table eating and talking. Of course, any time they sat down to eat; Henry was awake and wanting to eat. Katy made a comment about how she was going to lose all of the baby weight. Everyone laughed when she said it would be due to starvation.
Michelle assured them that things would get easier. They'd relax enough to sleep while Henry slept without holding the baby monitor to their ears. Katy honestly didn't see it happening, but definitely hoped. By one, the team was headed back to the office and Katy was sent back to bed. Callen, being used to running on very little sleep, felt he could make it through the remainder of the day on the few hours he'd gotten after Michelle and Ana arrived. He sat with Ana and Michelle folding Henry's laundry.
At four, Katy woke and panicked when the baby monitor was gone. She ran into the living room to find Henry in Callen's arms taking a bottle. Michelle, Ana and Mary sat around him helping Mary with her homework.
"Don't ever take the baby monitor out of the room again. That's why we got the one with two receivers, so we could have one in the main part of the house and one in our room." She scolded.
Mary covered her mouth, trying to conceal her giggles. Callen looked back at Katy from over the back of the couch. "I'm sorry; I wanted to make sure you slept uninterrupted."
"Thank you, but it scared me. I want to be able to hear him breathing." She said as she walked around the couch to sit next to Callen.
Mary stood up from the other side of the coffee table to give Katy a hug. "You needed to sleep. From what Ana and Miss Michelle said, you looked pretty bad."
Katy laughed and wrapped her arms around Mary. "I'm sure I did, Callen and I were up all night listening for Henry to wake up."
As the days passed, life with Henry got easier. They got into a good schedule; Katy and Callen were able to sleep between feedings. When Friday rolled around, Katy was fairly certain she could handle things once Callen went back to work. Michelle promised that she was just a phone call away, which Katy appreciated. Katy noticed that the phone was ringing off the hook. It seemed that every time she turned around the phone was ringing and suspiciously none of the calls were for her. Most of the time, Callen sat on the phone or carried the cordless around the house with him so Katy wouldn't answer. Callen disappeared completely when he took these calls.
By noon, Katy was furious. She heard the phone ring, but couldn't find Callen until she looked out to the back yard; he sat bundled up at the table talking. He never saw her coming and surely didn't expect her to rip the phone out of his hand.
"What the hell is going on, why are you hiding out here on the phone?" She demanded.
"Katy." He said shocked, he quickly stood and tried to take the phone from her. "It's just work stuff."
"Really, we work together. Why can't you take these calls with me in the room?"
"You're not going back to work for a few more weeks. We don't want to stress you out with the cases we're working." Callen said quickly.
"You're not going back to work until Monday; that means you're mine for two more days. What's really going on?"
"Can I have the phone back; it's kind of an important call?" He asked reaching for the phone.
Katy tossed the phone at him and turned on her heels heading back to the house. "Whatever Callen."
Once he was sure she was back in the house, he put the phone to his ear again. "Sorry, she's really getting pissed off with all the calls."
"I'm sure Katya is; do you think she suspects anything?" Ivan asked.
"I highly doubt it; she may kill me after this is all over. She told me she didn't want to do anything for her birthday."
"This is the first birthday I've been in Katya's life for, there is no way I'm going to let it pass without doing something for her."
"I know and after the initial shock, she's going to appreciate it." Callen assured him.
"I hope you're right, I would hate for this to end our relationship."
"You know that's not going to happen." Callen laughed. "I'm sure she's not even going to be mad. I called the restaurant and we've got the back room like we asked for. They said you can deliver the cake whenever you need to, they've made sure there's room in their walk-in refrigerator for it."
"Good, we should be done with it within the next hour or two. Do you want me to send you a picture of it when it's done?" He asked.
"No, I want to be as surprised as everyone else."
"You'd better get back in the house, Katya sounding really mad. I promise this is my last call. I'll have one of my helpers show me how to send text messages."
"Alright, we'll see you tonight." Callen smiled. "Thanks again for helping me with this."
"Anything for you, Henry and Katya." Ivan said and ended the call.
Callen took a deep breath and walked towards the back door. To his surprised, Katy stood on the other side of the door with her arms folded across her chest, smiling at the fact that the door was locked. "Come on Katy, unlock the door." He said playing with the door knob.
"Why don't you call whoever you've been on the phone with all morning, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to let you in." she said with a scowl on her face.
"Come on Katy, it's kind of cold out here. I don't have shoes on." He said realizing just how cold it was.
"Too bad it doesn't snow in LA, then you'd really be cold." She growled and walked away.
Callen knocked on the tempered glass in the door. "Katy, Katy unlock the door. Come on, it's not what you think."
Katy disappeared into the kitchen. Callen walked across the grass to the gate and went around to the front door. Katy had locked it too. He knocked, but didn't hear her footfall coming towards the door. He would've ringed the doorbell, but knew it would wake Henry. So he sat on the front steps for thirty minutes before he retreated to the Jaguar to stay warm.
She watched him from the living room window and felt bad, but not too bad. Something was going on and she didn't like being left out of the loop. Finally after an hour and a half, she unlocked the front door and stood on the porch. When he didn't notice her standing there, she walked out to the curb and opened the passenger side door.
"Are you cold enough yet?" she asked.
Callen laughed. "Are you done locking me out of the house?"
"Are you done with your phone calls?"
"There might be one or two more, but I think we're about done with the calls." He told her.
"Care to tell me what's going on?" she asked as he got out of the car and closed the door.
"Do I have to or can you just wait?" he asked as he walked around to stand in front of her.
"Do you want to come back in the house?" she laughed.
Callen sighed and dropped his head. With a smile he said, "What's tomorrow?"
"Saturday." She said without thinking.
"It's not just Saturday, Katy." He said rubbing her arms when she wrapped them around herself and shivered. "Let's go back in the house; we're both cold standing out here."
Finally, Katy realized what Callen was talking about. "I told you that I didn't want to do anything for my birthday."
"And I told you that our friends and family weren't going to let that happen." He smiled and gave her a kiss.
"Damn it Callen, I just want to spend one of your last nights at home alone, just you me, Henry, my Dad and the cats."
"I know you do, but they have other plans." He said and gave her rear end a soft pat.